exclusive
Sex, drugs and beach parties: How Broome locals are divided over free-spirited bush doof parties

It is another balmy night in Broome, and a lone van travels along a beach track under the light of a full moon, with nothing to guide its direction save for the distant drum of techno music. Inside it, crammed among clothes and living essentials, a pair of young travellers pass a joint between them and swig the last of their tequila as the van joins more than a hundred vehicles gathered on a remote stretch of beach. Barefoot in the sand, partygoers from all over the world gather around a makeshift stage, with DJ decks and LED strobe lights, to dance under the stars as the unforgiving tides drift further in to shore. It is night two of a season-ending bush doof north of the rocks on Cable Beach which partygoers tell the Broome Advertiser was organised by the town’s French visitors. “Just the lack of clothing, really,” Victorian Erin Hoysted quips when asked what drew her to the party. Upon arriving five weeks ago the Blue Mountains resident had, perhaps fancifully, taken to social media asking if there was a Coconut Wells mansion she could rent out with her friends. She is laughing and chatting with friends while, 3000km away, her family is dealing with an extended lockdown. “It is hard to be away from family but I am enjoying it for all of them I suppose,” Ms Hoysted says. “Beautiful Kimberley sunsets and the desert dry air is making it easier to bear, for sure.” Hoysted’s free-spirited mentality is reflected in much of the 200-plus crowd gathered at the party where dancing, fire twirling, poi juggling and drinking abounds. There is plenty of debauchery too — a couple has pared away from the crowd to have sex in the gentle laps of the outgoing tide, and several guests openly admit to having taken party drugs. The peaceful energy is not always enough to quell the violence — at one doof, the Broome Advertiser saw a fight break out between two men, with one reaching into a vehicle to retrieve a wrench, threatening to stab the other in the eye. More publicly, perhaps, Cable Beach has become a vehicle graveyard, with at least six partygoers caught out by the huge tides which swallow Broome’s famed sands every day. The skeletons of these mobile homes have to be dragged from the beach — a job which in three instances this year has left the Shire of Broome to mop up. “It costs, on average, $1000 for a vehicle tow from the beach,” Shire president Harold Tracey says. “It is the car owner’s responsibility to remove the vehicle; only in unique circumstances has the Shire removed cars in the past year.” The debris from these accidents is harmful to the environment, and there are other reports of pollution. “The Shire has experienced waste and dune damage complaints, potential damage to our dunes, and natural assets are something the Shire wants to avoid,” Mr Tracey says. There are genuine attempts to control rubbish at these doofs, but evidence is rarely too hard to find the next morning in the form of bottle caps and toilet paper. Broome police Sen. Sgt Dean Bailey says whether police interject or not comes down to behaviour and whether or not illegal activity is taking place. “It depends on the behaviour but like anything, we can take action against illegal activity,” he said. “We are mostly called out for noise complaints.” There is also the core issue of illegal camping on Cable Beach, which Shire rangers have been struggling to keep on top of this season. Shire regulations prohibit camping in vehicles outside designated facilities, including the beaches, as well as unlicensed fires outside of purpose-built facilities. The Advertiser caught Orange County, California native Melina Palmisciano at a doof on her first night in Broome. The town’s accommodation shortage has left thrifty travellers like Palmisciano unable to find suitable digs. It was the same story in Exmouth where she stayed prior to this. “I found out by fluke,” Palmisciano says of the doof. “I like the party scene, my friends are here, it is just a great view, the moon, the whole community is great.” Dozens of rooftop tents are set up, as were the van-lifers who had ignored 4WD only signs at the beach access ramp to be here. Tents, swags, sleeping bags, yoga mats — it was clear many intended to stay the night. Mr Tracey says the Shire has to engage a security contractor to help monitor the influx of activity. “The Shire is doing what it can to alleviate community concerns and ensure people are doing the right thing when accessing our beaches,” he says. “Ranger patrols already occur on Cable Beach and Gantheaume Point Beach each day, with officers able to warn, educate and infringe people breaking the rules.” Mr Tracey says the Shire works with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions’ rangers and police, as the events occur across land tenure. “The Shire’s rangers team allocate significant time and effort to curb antisocial behaviour on our beaches,” he says. “We are supported by WA Police, while rangers from DBCA are able to infringe people on their land. “The Shire and WA Police meet fortnightly to discuss matters of common interest via the Broome Community Health Action Plan and various other meetings and communications.” Sen. Sgt. Bailey said doofs like these had been occurring for years and were an ongoing issue. But, according to Bowis Maitel from Montpellier, France, it could be worse — or better in his view. The traveller said he had attended doofs across the country and the atmosphere in Broome did not compare to places like Cairns or Darwin. “It is hard to be worse than Broome doof-wise,” he said.

The West Australian exclusiveSex, drugs and beach parties: How Broome locals are divided over free-spirited bush doof parties

exclusive
Sex, drugs and beach parties: How Broome locals are divided over free-spirited bush doof parties